Insider guide to the most fashionable place on Earth

Silvia Marchetti, for CNN

Updated 2:57 AM ET, Wed February 11, 2015

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

World's most stylish street? – The only thing faster than a Supercar on Milan's Via Montenapoleone? The swiping of credit cards. Fashion's biggest names mix with Ferraris and Lamborghinis to ensure well-heeled shoppers arrive and depart in style. But where to cram those bulky bags?

No napping guards here – The best security guards are the ones you don't see. The agents here ARE the fashion police -- they'll hawk-eye you through the entire store.

Hide Caption

3 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Diffusion lines – Diffusion lines such as Just Cavalli offer the same Roberto Cavalli touch with fewer tears at the cash register. These wedges are a bargain at €315 ($435) compared to similar shoes by Cavalli's main line for more than €900 ($1,235).

Hide Caption

4 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Designer decor – Boutiques can be works of art in themselves, set in historical buildings. Moschino's flamingo-themed decor takes window shopping to a more colorful level.

Hide Caption

5 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Where trends are born – Orange may never be the new black, but Just Cavalli's mix with leopard print is fun and interesting.

Hide Caption

6 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Fashionistas earn their stripes – It's not unusual to see tourists and shoppers snapping photos of store fronts. These Corto Moltedo "Tiffany Pochette" clutches are so glamorous, they're guarded by a stone lion.

Hide Caption

7 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Swim in Armani – Giorgio Armani owns an entire block of the neighborhood. His A-shaped "universe" contains a hotel, a stylish restaurant, lounge, club and spa.

Hide Caption

8 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Candy and bike for sale too? – Fay's window display may be a more realistic portrayal of Milanese life than you think. Biking is no excuse to sacrifice style -- especially with a colorful down jacket.

Hide Caption

9 of 10

Insider guide to Milan's fashion quadrangle10 photos

Brands everywhere – The city never misses a chance to show off Italian brands. This tram carries the Borbonese name, a bag company started in Turin.

Hide Caption

10 of 10

Story highlights

Milan's fashion quadrangle is packed with high-end brands and high-end people

Via Montenapoleone is the main road, with the biggest boutiques

Via della Spiga is a quieter alternative, silent, car-free and dreamy

This piece, and several others on Milan, complement the CNNGo TV series. Starting with a tour through the city with two top fashion models and a photographer, this month's CNNGo TV episode then ventures into the "fashion quadrangle," arguably the most fashionable shopping district on the planet, and also takes a trip to the city's most famed umbrella maker. More on Milan plus the full show can be found here: www.cnn.com/cnngo

(CNN)Got your flats?

Topped up the credit card?

Got a handful of Euros for gelato and a slice?

That's all you need for a tour of the fashion center of the fashion capital of the world.

And our handy guide.

Milan's "fashion quadrangle" is one of the world's top shopping districts, sparkling with glossy boutiques, squeaking with luxury designer brands.

Brands scream for attention, often with outrageous displays or perplexing marketing campaigns.

"You must be stupid," Renzo Rosso, the billionaire founder of Diesel jeans, tells CNN, referring to the need to take risks to succeed.

He "invented" ripped denim at the age of 15, he says. "I still don't know why but I did something stupid: the cloth was stiff so I started rubbing the jeans on the cement of my barnyard. My jeans had a great success."

This is where the ultimate in fashion names hang out: Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, La Perla and Gucci, to name a few.

Shoppers here are invariably of the "money's no object" classes, stepping out of one store and into the next as if they were sampling mild cheeses.

To get a price you need to ask.

Highlights: At Gucci, a woman's "Lady Lock" crocodile tote bag costs €18,500 ($25,360) while a crocodile-skin jacket goes for €33,000 ($45,000), though they have been sold for as much as €90,000 ($123,000).

Gentlemen are luckier: they can grab a tailored suit for a measly €2,500 ($3,400).